Manufactured leather.



unrrnn STATES PA -Eur orrrcn.

ALFRED WELLS CASE, OF HIGHLAND PARK, CONNECTICUT.

\ MANUFACTURED LEATHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed February 7, 1907. Serial No. 356.165-

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ALFRED WELLS CASE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Highland Park, in thecounty ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new andImproved Manufactured Leather, of which the following is aspecification.

- My invention relates to the manufacture of comparatively thick sheetsof material from fiber, and more particularly to such sheets as arepartially orwholly formed from animal fiber.

The object of the invention is the production of a piece or sheet ofsuch material that shall possess throughout the entire mass propertiesof consistency or density which are material in the articles usuallyproduced. from such sheets; and a further object of the invention is toprovide means for properly stiffening sheets or pieces of such materialto the required degree and maintain them in this condition until suchtime as they may be required for use for manufactur ng purposes; and afurtherobject of the invention is to e to such sheets properties whichwill enab e a nice finish to be given to the articles made therefrom.

In the manufacture of sheets of comparatively thick material from fiber,and more especially that class commonly known as leather board, theleather scrap or like material, either alone or mixed with other fibrousmatter, is reduced to pulp by a beating engine or the like, which bywell-known treatment is formed into sheets or board of the desiredthickness. ably dried asby the action of the elements, orby' artificialmeans. in using the board for manufacturing 1purposes it is desirablethat the sheets shal have considerable density and consistency andshall-have within certain well defined limits proper qualities as tostiffness. it is also desirable to give to articles formed therefrom acertain degree of finish, and as such articles are, in many in stances,formed from superimposed layers or pieces of material, the edges ofwhich.

form the surface of the finished article it is evident that suchmaterial shall possess throughout the entire thickness of the massqualities to enable the articles made therefrom to take the desiredfinish, and to produce the best results that the ualities as to densityand consistency shal be present throughout the entire mass.-

I have found by extended experiment that The sheets are then suit rosin,if properly distributed throughout the mass, Wlll give the board properqualities as to density and consistency and also as to stiffness, andwill also roduce an article which will receive a nlce finish; how toroperly introduce the rosin into the mass, liowever, has been a problemThe rosin can not be introduced to the.

pulp for the reason that it not only gums up the machinery to such anextent as to practically preventits operation, but the rosin thusintroduced will be in granulated form, which, upon melting, under theheat to which the sheets must subsequently be subjected leaves cellsthroughout the mass formerly occupied by the grains of the rosin. Thisforms a cellular mass which is extremely objectionable. If the rosin ismelted and the sheets immersed in a bath it is found that the rosinchills so quickly as to. that part in contact with the sheet that itpermeates but very little if at all into the sheet. The rosin mixed withothermaterials has been applied. to the sheets as a size,.but it hasbeen found that such treatment produces little, if any, effect incausing the rosinto penetrate the fiber. After extended experiment i.have found, however, that a liquid composed of a greasy or oilysubstance, as wax-or mineral oil, either or both, mixed with the rosin,

heated to the proper degree and applied to vehicle to convey the rosinthroughout the entire mass, but maintains the rosin in a liquid stateand prevents such chilling as to cause the rosin tic assume granular"form. The rosin, inaddition to giving the qualities above described tothe sheets of material, also acts to a certain extent as a water-proofing substance, and its mixture with the mineral oil or wax, or both,thorpughly waterproofs the sheets and preserves them n a pliable state,while maintaining the required density and stiffness for indefinitelengths of time and until required for manufacturing purposes.

I have found. that very beneficial results are obtained in a bath heatedto about 180 degrees. The proportions of the Wax or mineral oil maybe'varied to any extent, and, in fact, wax alone or mineral oil alonemay be mixed with the rosin and produce satisfactory results. The hi herthe proportion of Wax to the mineral 0' the better will be the grade ofthe leather board. Sheets treated with mineral oil and rosin alone sup:ly a "large demand forcertain classes of wor and *hence it ,will beobvious that the better the grade of work required the more wax inproportion to the mineral oil should'beused; he proportion of the rosinmaybe varied almost indefinitely, depending upon the de-- greeof finishrequired or the amount of densitynor consistencyde'sired. making themixture the mineral oil'is employed as an element for the reason that'the rosin and 'waxwill bet-retained in the tem erature. 4

e I have found oil or wax to possess the necessary greasy or oilyproperties, and

which will serve the desired end. I

invention and desire 4 also the necessary penetrating'properties'toproduce excellent results, yet it is obvious.

that other greasy or oily substances maybe employed, and as thesematerials resist the entrance of water into, the sheets of fiber boarddescribed herein-I have termed the material used with the rosin a waterresist, this includingany greasy or oily substance What I claim as'm tosecure by Letters atent is:

As an improved article of manufacture, a

sheet of leather boardforme'd from leather pulp material and after beinformed and dried treated'to a bath'inclu ing resin and heatedmineraloil. Y 1

ALFRED WELLS CASE.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS,

LENA E. BERKOVITCHf

